Known in his day as The Waltz King, Johann Strauss II has always been popular, while also being dismissed by some as a composer of ‘light’ rather than ‘serious’ music. Yvonne Frindle takes up the cudgel on his behalf, arguing that we should use the 200th anniversary of his birth to reassess, commend and celebrate his delightful repertoire.

An illustration of Johann Strauss II and his band of musicians playing at the Court Ball in Vienna in 1888. Image: EDR archives/Alamy Stock Photo

In Good Company

If you visit Johann Strauss II’s grave in Vienna’s Central Cemetery, you’ll find him surrounded by some great names from the classical canon, including Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Mahler and Schoenberg. But he was also admired by his ‘serious’ music peers. 

Brahms...